Heritage

H J Berry & Sons Ltd, the oldest chair manufacturer in England and the UK, have been making fine chairs and tables in Chipping, near Preston in Lancashire, since 1840.  The business, which was founded by John Berry and named after his son, Henry James Berry, is still situated in the ancient village of Chipping, nestling below the fells close to Bowland Forest.  John Berry saw an opportunity to bring together the chairmaking skills of the cottage industry in chipping and the fine woods found in the surrounding Forest of Bowland to establish a small workshop.

By 1880 the business had expanded so much that it needed a new site in Chipping, as the founder’s entrepreneurial son, Henry James Berry, bought the local cotton mill, known as Kirk Mills.  The mill is still used today by the company and the original Arkwright water wheel that powered the machinery until 1940 is still in place.

Today, specialising in the production of fine chairs, tables and stools, the fifth generation of the Berry family still uphold the integrity and authenticity of that tradition.

H J Berry still relies upon its employees to be craftsmen and draw on the skills of previous generations, handed down from the cottage industry.  This is demonstrated in the production of our timeless and enduring rush seated chairs, a traditional style from the Lancashire region.  Each individual seat takes three hours to “bottom” by hand using only the finest rushes.  Our rush seated chairs are not only reknowed for quality, but they are a piece of British regional history as shown when they were displayed in the Geffrye Museum in London in 2005.